Don't Tell Me
by DivineViolets
Summary: Ray asks Travis to help him win over Lily's heart. But what happens when Travis discovers and can't handle his true feelings for Lily anymore, after bringing the two together? Read and find out.
1. Feelings: Some Shared, Some Not

**A/N: Ok, this is my first fanfic, so please go easy on me. But I would really like you to review and tell me what you thought.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RFR (although I wish I did).**

**Rating: PG13, just in case.**

**Chapter 1**

Travis had been acting the same way the entire day. He'd just sit there in the booth, not doing anything except answering all the phone calls that came in today. There was something wrong with him, she could just feel it. Normally he would be talking up a storm, inserting his quotes here and there, but most importantly, contradicting Ray's statements whenever he could. What surprised her was that there had been none of that today. _It just feels different here today_, she thought.

Travis brought a good vibe and something more to the show every day. It wasn't here today though. It just wasn't RFR without Travis' insightful, although sometimes confusing, quotes. She suddenly realized that she missed it, whatever _it_ was. Lily was even more surprised that she noticed the difference in him.

Snapping out of her brief reverie, Lily tuned back in just as Robbie was closing out the show for today.

"...This is Radio Free Roscoe, signing out."

Lily gazed over at Travis, waiting for him to take them off the air like he did every day. He flipped a couple of switches, pushed a couple of buttons and the show was over. She kept watching him in the booth, unable to tear her eyes away from him. He captivated her. It was as simple as that.

She had never met anyone like him. He was like a breath of fresh air in this town. No one, not even Ray or Robbie, completely understood her. Lily felt as if she couldn't share her true feelings with anyone here. They would never understand the reasons for her feelings. So, instead of trying to explain them, she chose not to. She wrote songs exploring the depth of her feelings. That was her way to express all her thoughts and emotions, and like her feelings, the songs had never been shared. The songs had been an outlet for all her hopes and fears about school, boys and her family. She kept those hopes and fears to herself, that is, until Travis came to Roscoe.

From the first day, Lily knew that she and Travis were going to become terrific friends. He was the kind of confidant that Ray could never be. He trusted her enough to share his thoughts, his fears and his doubts with her. She tried her best to help calm those fears and doubts of his by writing him songs, like the one for his birthday. She also trusted him enough that when he offered to produce her single, she went for it. While recording her single, they spent a lot of time together. They found out a lot about each other and she finally shared her feelings with him. Travis, being the person he is, soothed Lily's fears and doubts as well. He was the only one who truly understood her. He was different than all the people in Roscoe, and she loved that about him.

Travis could feel her gaze linger on him for a while as he pretended to be paying attention to the equipment. He tried not to notice, quickly looking for something else that needed his attention. _There was no use,_ he thought. He noticed anything she did, even if it was just to push her silky blond hair away from her face. He'd been sneaking looks at her all afternoon, instead of paying attention to the show. That's partly the reason he was so out of it today.

Travis just couldn't understand what was going on. _I've never been this way before,_ he thought, _I've never_ _thought about anyone like this. _He wasn't used to having thoughts about girls, much less Lily, in his head for the entire day. It was probably the fact that she had gotten closer to him then anyone ever had. She had cracked through the shell that he had put up around his heart, all in the few months that they knew each other. He was just so afraid to get attached to anyone because of the fact that at any given time, he may have to get up and move again. But he realized that Lily was different.

She made him feel like this was home, even if he'd been in Roscoe less than a year. Take his birthday for example. He had always hated his birthdays because there was never anyone there to celebrate it with him, with the exception of his family. But, this year, it was different. Lily had him come down to the station and she played him a special birthday song. She had said that she wrote it especially for him. He had memorized the song and he knew that he would never forget that night when she sang it to him. It was the best moment of his life. Lily had done something so special for him; she had made him realize that Roscoe truly was his home. Sure, he lived in London and Hong Kong, and they were great places to stay for a while but neither of them felt like a home. Neither of them had Lily there right next to him.

Finally, Lily broke her gaze on Travis and began to get up from her seat. Suddenly the tables were turned and he was the one who couldn't look away. Funny, how this whole thing backfired on him. He had focused on getting her to look away from him, only to have himself be pulled in. She was spellbinding and enchanting. The way that the sun made her blond hair sparkle and the way her beautiful blue eyes shined when she smiled just made him feel like he was in the presence of an angel. A beautiful angel that he wished was his.

**A/N: So, how did you like it? Please review and tell me what you think!**


	2. The Notes

**A/N: Thanks for all of your reviews! They mean so much to me! ****Dani and Tina: Thanks so much you guys! You are my inspiration! **

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own RFR.**

**Rating: PG13, just in case**

****

**Chapter 2**

Travis had hoped that the day would go by as uneventful as it had yesterday. Although, he wasn't sure if the things that had happened at RFR would be classified as uneventful. _What on Earth was I thinking,_ he thought, _how could I do that to Ray?_

"Hey Travis, c'mere for a sec," called a voice, not too far away.

"Ray, I'm just about to go to class, what do you want?" Travis yelled back. He turned around to see Ray dodging people left and right just to catch up to him. A few times, Ray came close to hitting locker doors and tripping over backpacks left carelessly on the floor. When Ray caught up to him, he was obviously out of breath.

"Whew...that should...become a new...Olympic...sport. Not to mention...that it's dangerous. Man, I almost...came in brutal contact with a binder. Talk about death by schoolwork," Ray said, as the two boys began walking down the hallway in the direction of their algebra class.

"I know what you mean. They're really piling on the homework today. Ms. Mitchell assigned us a huge paper for tomorrow, something about your life's greatest ambition. Plus I have a biology lab to do."

"But you can still come to RFR, right?"

"Of course I can. If I don't come, who will run the equipment and the board? Why are you even asking anyway?" asked Travis, while walking into his class with Ray by his side, as the bell began to ring. Both of them quickly took their seats and pulled out their notebooks, pretending to be copying the algebra problems that their teacher, Ms. Graham, had already put up on the whiteboard.

Ray quietly tore a piece of paper out of his dilapidated notebook, grabbed a pen and scribbled into it: _Oh, no real reason, I just wanted to talk to you alone before the show. It's about something... important._

He took the tattered piece of paper, folded it into fourths and aimed towards Travis' desk. With a quick flick of his wrist, Ray's note flew through the air and landed in the middle of Travis' desk. Watching the note fall perfectly, Ray gave himself a pat on the back for finally not getting caught passing notes in class. Then again, it also helped that Travis' desk was in the row right next to his and not the other end of the classroom.

For a moment, Travis seemed oblivious to the folded piece of paper in the center of his navy blue notebook. Then, very discreetly, he unfolded the note and read it. He scribbled his response and passed the note to Ray when their teacher was looking away. Ray opened the note and read Travis' reply.

_Okay. Meet me at the station 25 minutes before the show starts. That should be early enough for us to talk without having to worry about Lily and Robbie being there already._

Ray pocketed the note and quietly tore another small piece of paper and wrote back.

_25 minutes before the show. Fine with me, but don't tell Lily or Robbie about this. _

Twenty-five minutes later, Travis and Ray gathered their things and walked out of the classroom into the crowded hallway. Since their next period was lunch, they took their time getting to the cafeteria. As they walked through the hallway, they continued to talk about the enormous amount of homework they had been given.

"Man, I can't believe that Ms. Graham assigned us _seventy-five_ algebra problems. How am I going to get them done?" asked Ray while smacking his forehead with the heel of his hand.

"But Ray, she only assigned us fifteen more problems than we usually get. Fifteen more isn't that much," reasoned Travis.

"Maybe not to you, Swami, but I spent all period tossing you those notes. Thanks to you, I didn't listen to a word Ms. Graham said."

"Well that's your fault for writing those dumb jokes and throwing them to me. But, then again, I actually paid attention in class. Oh, and never, _ever_, call me Swami."

"Hey now I got a few chuckles from you with those Waller jokes, didn't I," laughed Ray, "You have to admit, they were pretty funny."

"Yeah, they were okay, but it's your Waller impression that still needs work. Come on, Lily and Robbie are probably waiting for us."

* * *

Travis sat on the red vinyl couch in the warehouse and prepared to meditate. Normally, Travis would've gone home to meditate, then make his way here to put on RFR. But since Ray needed to talk to him, he decided to come straight to the warehouse. He glanced at his watch and saw that Ray wasn't supposed to be here for another fifteen minutes.

Sitting on the couch alone gave Travis more time to think about everything that has gone on in the past week, without being interrupted. Like the way he was thinking about Lily and the way she made him feel. Whenever he was around her, he felt butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. It alarmed him that Lily was the one to stir up those butterflies and, at the same time, it made him glad that it was his best friend, not some regular girl, who made him feel this way. Either way, he liked the feeling that Lily stirred up in him.

Travis looked out the window above the couch and wondered when Ray would arrive. Out of the corner of his eye, Travis saw movement in the stairwell leading to the warehouse. Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat and he found himself hoping it was Lily who was climbing those stairs. _It's not Lily_, Travis thought,_ it's probably Ray coming early for once. _Then, Travis caught sight of a pink bandana intertwined with beautiful golden locks of hair. It was Lily. The fluttering feeling in his stomach had just started up again. _There it goes, _he thought, _right on cue_. Funny, how he didn't mind the fluttering when Lily was around.

Lily opened the silver door and walked into the station. She had hoped to have the warehouse to herself for twenty minutes, so she could practice a song she was planning to play on RFR today. Lily wanted to make sure that she would play the song perfectly today. There was no room for missing chords, singing out of pitch or any mistakes whatsoever. The song had to be flawless. It was one of those songs she had written a while ago to express her feelings about a crush. That particular crush was long gone, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to admit to herself that she had developed a crush on one of her closest friends. That's why she was so determined to play the song flawlessly. She hoped that playing the song on RFR would help her get up the courage to declare it to herself.

Lily glanced at the booth for any signs of Travis and at the table for Ray or Robbie. She was relieved to see that she was the only one here.

"Hey, looking for me?" asked a deep voice. Lily jumped a little when she heard the voice, even though she knew who the voice belonged to. She turned towards the couch and saw Travis sitting there, his body turned toward the window.

"Travis, you scared me! What are you doing here so early?" she asked, while making herself comfortable on the couch.

"I'm here because Ra...I mean...I just wanted to have some time to myself to think," said Travis, almost telling Lily about Ray's important news. "But I might ask you the same question."

"I, um... I wanted to practice a song that I want to play on RFR today. I was hoping that no one else would be here"

"Would you like me to leave, Lily, so you can practice the song by yourself?"

"No Travis, don't leave... I mean, you don't have to leave."

"Are you sure Lil? Because I can if you want me to."

"No, that's ok."

"Alright then," said Travis, thinking about what Lily had just said. Did she say she had to practice a song, for RFR? _That's odd, _he thought,_ she's never practiced anything for RFR before._ He wondered why she needed to practice this particular song. Maybe it held special meaning to her or something. He didn't know why, but he had the urge to figure out why this song was special to her. "Hey Lil?"

"Yea?" said Lily, just as she was taking her guitar out. She laid it on the ground next to her and Travis' feet. She turned towards him with a curious look on her face. He looked like he wanted to say something, but it just wouldn't come out. "Travis?"

"What's so special about this song?"

"Wh-what? What do you mean?" asked Lily nervously. She gazed into Travis' sky blue eyes, temporarily getting lost in them, and wondered what was going through his mind._ He couldn't possibly know what the song was about,_ she thought, _or what it means. _

"Something's special about this song. You've never had to practice any one of your songs before," said Travis looking at Lily. "Why this song? What's so special about it?"

It took Lily a couple of seconds to recover from what Travis asked. She just couldn't tell him the truth.

"There's nothing special about this song, Travis. I just want to practice because it has some really tough chords," said Lily as she picked up her guitar. She stood up, walked over to her amp and connected her guitar.

Travis got up from the couch and crossed the room to where Lily was standing. She knew he was right behind her, but she didn't dare turn around. He lightly placed his hand on her shoulder and let it linger there until he let his hand fall to his side.

"Lily, it's me, Travis. You know you can tell me anything, right?"

"Yea, I know that," said Lily, as she slowly turned around to face Travis. He gently took hold of both of Lily's hands as he looked into her eyes.

"And you know that I'll always be here for you right?"

"I know."

"So tell me about the song. Who knows, maybe I can help you."

Lily stood there facing Travis, wondering if she could handle telling him. She was torn between her two obvious choices. Part of her wanted to confide in him and tell him everything, while the other part of her wanted to keep it a secret. She didn't know what to do. All she had wanted to do was to play the song on RFR and let her emotions loose.

"Travis, I can't, I just...can't," said Lily as tears welled in her eyes. "I'm sorry Travis. I really am. I wish I could tell you, but I can't." Lily hated crying in front of people, especially Travis, but the tears fell anyway and streaked down her face. She swiped at the tears on her face with the back of her hand, while trying to regain her composure at the same time. She had to get out of here, away from everything. Lily turned away, took her guitar and grabbed her purple backpack off of the floor. "I have to go."

"But Lily, what about RFR?" he said, glancing at his watch. "It starts in twenty minutes."

"Just tell the guys that I had something else to do."

Lily threw open the door and ran down the stairs without looking back, leaving Travis alone in the warehouse to wonder what he'd done wrong.

**A/N: Well, you know what to do, right? If you don't, it means REVIEW!!! Please?? Pretty please?**


	3. Terrible Feelings All Around

**Disclaimer: I don't own RFR, and I probably never will.**

**Rating: PG13, just in case**

**Pairings: T/L**

****

**Chapter 3**

Travis found himself sitting on the red vinyl couch and staring out the window for the second time today. The only difference between the two times was that he felt much worse now. He didn't understand what he'd done to make Lily leave. He thought that she was comfortable enough to tell him things like that. _Maybe we're not as close as I thought we were. Maybe she wasn't being honest about everything she told me. Maybe...maybe I shouldn't sit alone anymore because of all the crazy thoughts that I come up with while I'm by myself._

Speaking of being alone, where on Earth was Ray? Travis quickly glanced at his watch and realized that Ray was 10 minutes late and Robbie was bound to be here in a minute or so. Travis went back to looking outside the window and letting his thoughts float around aimlessly in his head. Travis was so far off that he didn't notice when Robbie walked in and slammed his heavy backpack on the table.

"Hello? Earth to Travis?" snapped Robbie, walking towards the CD racks in the corner of the room. Robbie began thoroughly scanning the racks for the perfect combination of songs for today's broadcast. He looked back at Travis and saw that he hadn't noticed him yet. "Travis? Hey Travis?"

"Yea?" asked Travis with a distant look in his eyes. You could tell that his mind wasn't here at the moment. He finally snapped back and turned to look at Robbie. "Oh, sorry Robbie, I didn't hear you come in. What's going on?"

"What's going on? What's going on?" said Robbie angrily. Robbie walked over to the table, put the CDs he was holding on the table and sat down in his chair. He slipped on his headphones and faced Travis. "I'll tell you what's going on. It's Kim. Why does she have to be nice to me when she's alone and then be so despicable when other people are around? It's like...just because I'm a ninth grader, I'm immediately condescended upon. Why does she have to be like that?"

"Wow, sounds like you have a problem. You like Kim, right?"

"Yea I do."

"Well then, I guess avoiding her at all costs is not a good solution," said Travis chuckling while getting off the couch and walking towards the booth. He took his seat, slipped on his headphones and switched all of the equipment on. Robbie shot Travis an irritated glance and Travis immediately stopped laughing mid-chuckle. They both sat there thinking about Robbie's problem until a loud crash interrupted the silence.

Both Travis and Robbie looked at each other and then switched their gazes towards the door. Robbie was about to get up out of his seat and investigate the crash, when none other than Ray strode through the door. His look disheveled and his hair was badly tousled up. He quickly shut the door, walked over to his spot by the table, dropped his backpack carelessly on the floor next to his chair and sat down. He looked up at Robbie and Travis and uttered one word, "What?"

Robbie and Travis couldn't help but laugh. Ray just sat there and glared at them, while settling in and sliding his headphones onto his head. Finally the laughter died down enough for Robbie to ask, "So, Ray, what...happened?"

"Well, if you and Swami are finished laughing, I'll tell you. I was walking here the way that I always do..."

"You mean the path that takes you right to Mickey's?" interjected Travis.

"Yes... I mean No," said Ray irritatingly, "Anyway, I was walking here when this huge dog came out of nowhere and started attacking me. It practically bit my entire leg off. "

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," said Robbie.

"Wasn't that bad, huh? Well, take a look at this, "replied Ray, standing up and revealing his leg. His khaki pants were ripped and torn, and all that was left on his foot was a white sock. "Luckily I got away, but not before I got this back." Ray then pulled out a somewhat shredded remnant of what was his other tennis shoe. Its side was terribly shredded by what were probably very sharp claws. A huge grin appeared as he put his shoe back on. "I showed that dog!"

"Um...Ray, are you sure you're okay? I mean, it looks like you got attacked by a vicious dog," said Robbie, with a concerned look on his face for his best friend.

"Yea, Ray, maybe you should go home or something," added Travis.

"Nah, I'm okay, it's the dog that should go and seek some medical attention," announced Ray jokingly.

"You guys, it's getting kind of late and Lily's not here yet. Anyone seen her?" asked Robbie glancing at the clock.

"Oh...um Lily said she couldn't make it. She said she was um...feeling sick," replied Travis, looking uneasy.

"OK, I guess it's just us guys then," said Ray, sitting back down and putting his headphones back onto his head.

Travis sat in the booth watching the clock and thought about Lily. He was going to straighten it all out with her after the show. A minute before he had to begin the countdown, he realized that Ray still hadn't been able to tell him the important news.

"Hey Ray, c'mere."

"What? The show's about to start," replied Ray, walking over to the booth.

"What about the important news you were going to tell me?" asked Travis in a whisper.

"Stay for a while after the show and I'll tell you then," whispered Ray. He walked back and took his seat, pausing for a moment to put on his headphones.

_Great, now I'll have to wait till after the show and then some before I can straighten everything out with Lily,_ thought Travis. _But I'll make it up to her somehow._ He paused, then started the countdown into the show.

"We're on in 5...4...3...2...1..."

* * *

Lily spent a longer time walking home than usual. She decided to take the long way home from the warehouse instead of the shorter one she normally took. It was a great day to be outside in the sunshine. The temperature was just perfect, with a light breeze blowing by every couple of minutes. She was glad she was wearing her pink bandanna in her hair today, or else her hair would be in her face whenever the breeze blew by. 

With her backpack and guitar in tow, Lily continued down the tree-lined sidewalk. Her mind drifted away every few minutes or so. Images of Travis' face popped in and out of her head, causing Lily to shake her head and try to get rid of them. _Who am I kidding? __It's never going to work._ She just couldn't forget the looks of pain and confusion she saw on his face before she ran out. The worst part about it was knowing she caused it all. **_She_ **was the one who made his warm and wonderful smile disappear. It was all too much for her to handle. She needed to forget about Travis, forget about everything. She needed to be someplace where she could think, and write.

A couple of blocks later, Lily was glad that she chose the long way because it took her right towards one of the prettiest places in Roscoe: Warner Park. A lot of people loved Warner Park because of all the colorful flowers and huge oak trees that surrounded it. Lily loved Warner Park because it was so peaceful. The last time she had been there was... the beginning of ninth grade. It had been a long time, a very long time indeed. Then a thought crossed Lily's mind. _Well, I don't have anywhere to be, right? So, why don't I just go there now. It's better than being at home, and lying on my bed for hours._

She walked down the sidewalk toward Warner Park, trying to decide what she'd do when she got there. It was a very nice day outside and there were bound to be a lot of people at the park, so open benches might be hard to find. Then she remembered the huge fountain on the North side of the park. The fountain had been one of Lily's favorite places to stay because many of her songs had come to her there. That would be the best place for her to sort through everything in her mind.

Lily arrived at the huge fountain in ten minutes. Heading to the fountain, she noticed that there were a lot of people by the baseball diamonds on the other end of the park and by the playground to the west. Luckily for her, there were hardly any people by the fountain. She had her pick of wooden benches to relax on. Lily picked one bench in front of the arch-like entrance that was created with the branches of the trees. She sat down, breathing in the fresh air and taking in the beauty of her surroundings. Lily sat there for a while, unaware of everything going on around her, engrossed in her own thoughts.

Lily was grateful that there weren't many people around the fountain today. She had the urge to write songs right there. Ideas and lyrics flew through her mind, with the occasional chord tagging along. She opened up her tan messenger bag and pulled out her old blue notebook labeled "Songs". Sure, the notebook was tattered and falling apart, but Lily treasured that notebook because it held her cherished songs and lyrics among its pages. She wasn't sure whether or not to pull out her guitar as well. She desperately wanted to create a new song, but it just didn't seem right in the park. _Oh well,_ she thought, _I'm just going to do it._

Lily pulled her guitar case up onto the bench and started to open it. She held her guitar while leaving the case on the bench. Lily never liked playing on a bench, so she opted to sit on the edge of the fountain instead. She folded her legs under her, placed her guitar on her lap and began to strum softly. She sat there for a couple of minutes just strumming, as if to savor her quality time with her guitar. Then she began to convert her emotions into another song. She put bits of lyrics with pieces of certain chords and stopped every couple of minutes to scribble the section she had just come up with.

* * *

"...We'll catch you on the air waves tomorrow," said Robbie half-heartedly, leaning back in his chair, glad that the show was finally over.

"Great show today guys!" said Ray sarcastically as he pushed the microphone away from him. He sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling, not wanting to believe what happened today. The whole show had gone from bad to worse to completely horrible in a matter of minutes.

"It wasn't that horrible Ray," Robbie replied trying to downplay the disastrous turn the show took.

"Yea, I'm sure the listeners didn't think it was bad either. Especially when nobody wanted to call in for _anything_," Ray countered. "Yep, it was a terrible show."

"Whatever," snapped Robbie. He let out a big sigh, as if all of his problems would go away with it, and apologized to Ray. "Sorry Ray. You know how I am when it comes to RFR being less-than perfect. Hey, I'm gonna go to Mickey's and look for more CD's. Anyone wanna come?"

"Nah, that's ok. I need to go home and do some chores."

"Ok, Ray." Robbie turned towards Travis, who was still in the booth and hadn't said anything since the show ended. "What about you Travis?"

"Um...I can't cause I have something to do. Sorry."

"Ok then. I'll see you guys later." Robbie grabbed his backpack off the floor underneath the table, slung it over his shoulder and walked over to the door. He opened it, walked out and began climbing the stairs, leaving the door to slam behind him.

Travis walked out of the booth with his backpack in tow, oblivious to the puzzled looks Ray shot him. He had other things on his mind, like finding out where Lily was and wondering what he could do to make up for what happened earlier. He pulled out his cell phone, with the intention of calling Lily's house, and reached for the knob.

"Hey Travis?"

"Hmm?" Travis looked back at Ray over his shoulder. He was holding his cell phone, ready to press the number three on his speed dial for Lily's house. Then realization clicked in his mind. "Wait, Ray, weren't you gonna tell me something?"

"Yea, I was wondering why you were about to leave." Ray laughed as he settled back into his chair. Travis put his backpack down, pulled Lily's chair close to Ray's and sat down.

"Ok Ray, I'm listening."

"Well, you know how I like Lily right?" Travis nodded his head to answer, while Ray continued. "You know that I've tried to tell her so many times, but I could never get it out. Well, I'm done with it."

Travis was dumbfounded and speechless. Had he heard Ray correctly? _Oh, please tell me that he is done with liking Lily. Please tell me that he's over her. Please!_ His stomach was tied up in knots anticipating the next thing Ray was going to say. "Sorry Ray, what did you say?"

"I said that I was done with it. I don't want to keep chasing Lily like I have been for the past five years! That's why I'm telling you this. Do you understand what I'm getting at?" Ray was already up and walking around the room. He picked up the pink rubber ball Lily hurled at Ray whenever he did or said something stupid.

Travis sat as still as a rock on the chair as he tried to absorb everything Ray had said. He didn't want to assume anything, but he hoped that Ray meant what he thought he meant. _If this means that I can like Lily without feeling guilty, then I hope Ray means this. It seems too good to be true, but please let this be real!_ Travis held his breath and shook his head so Ray would have to explain.

"I mean...you have to help me get Lily. You have to persuade Lily to go out with me. Come on Travis, please? I can't deal with being jealous everytime Lily has a crush on someone, or goes out with someone. Please, Travis? You're the smart one here. You're the master of Zen and the Art of Romance or whatever it's called. Please, will you help me?"

Travis sat there trying to come up with something to say. But he couldn't find the will to talk. He knew it was too good to be true. To think, he thought Ray was going to say that he didn't like Lily anymore. He knew Ray was waiting for an answer, but he couldn't get one out. What was he going to say? _Sure Ray, I'll help you get the girl of your dreams. It doesn't matter that she's the girl of my dreams too. _But, Ray was one of his best friends. Wasn't helping his friend more important than a girl? _What am I going to do?_

"Um... Ray..." stuttered Travis, trying to decide what to tell him, "...um...s-sure, I'll help you."

"You will?! Thank you, thank you, and thank you. Travis, you don't know how much this means to me!" shouted Ray, giving a shocked Travis a hug. Ray quickly let go of Travis, realizing what he was doing, and straightened up while puffing out his chest. He grabbed his backpack and left the station happily.

Travis needed to get out and away from the warehouse. So much had happened in there today, that it started to overwhelm him. He needed to go somewhere that calmed him, someplace where he felt in control of everything. Travis grabbed his backpack off of the floor and left the warehouse, heading in the direction of his favorite spot in all of Roscoe.

**A/N: Well, how was that? Now that I have done my part and posted this chapter, you have to do yours. See the little button down there, you click it and ..........REVIEW! Please? **


	4. Warner Park: Part 1

** Pairings: T/L **

**Disclaimer: I don't own RFR, any of the characters or any of the actors (although I wish I owned Nathan Carter!). I also don't own any of the songs that appear in this chapter. They belong to certain artists that you will find out later.**

** A/N: OK well, this chapter took me a long time to write. I'm sorry that I kept you all waiting. Thanks for all of your reviews! They have truly made my day. **

**I'd like to take this time to thank my wonderful beta. Without her, I'd have nothing and you'd still be here waiting for the next chapter. So, thank you Tina! You're the best. Also, to one of my best RFR friends who constantly pushes me to get off my tush and write. Luff ya Dani! But you should take your own advice too. LOL! I luff all my RFR friends! Where would we all be without each other huh? Be sure to review and leave me a message you guys!**

**And finally, I have a little challenge for all you readers out there in…um…Readerland? Yeah, just read the chapter and pay attention. It will help you in the challenge. Ok, read on…**

**Chapter 4**

Travis leisurely strolled down the sidewalk with his backpack slung over his left shoulder, deciding to take his time walking so he could think about the day he'd had. After hastily leaving the warehouse, he realized that all he needed was to meditate for a good half an hour or so. Travis knew that once he was at his favorite place, engulfed in the tranquility and seclusion that it provided, he would be able to relax and calm down.

On his way, he couldn't help himself as he mentally replayed everything, from the notes in algebra to the scene in the warehouse before Lily ran out. What baffled Travis more than Ray's request was the way he had answered. What on earth had possessed him to say yes? And why had Ray asked him to help instead of asking Robbie? What was that about? He continued down the street, different thoughts swirling around and intermingling in his head.

_Ray is one of my best friends. If it were any other girl, I'd be glad to help him. But it's Lily. It wasn't some plain, old, regular girl; it was Lily. Am I prepared to give up my feelings for Lily, just to help my friendship with Ray? And what was that whole "Zen and the Art of Romance" thing? What did he mean by…._

Hold on a second…feelings for Lily? What feelings for Lily? Where had that come from? Travis shook his head, trying to dislodge the thoughts about Lily that were now invading his mind. Did he have feelings for Lily?

He knew what his problem was. It was too hard to distinguish when he felt like being only friends with her, and when he wanted them to become more_. But it would never work out with us two, would it? Well, it doesn't matter anyway, because I can't like her_. There was a quote that he had memorized while living in London; it was about the value of having a true friend. He had forgotten about the quote ever since coming to Roscoe and meeting Lily, Ray and Robbie. But, now seemed like a great time for it to resurface in his mind.

_Euripides once said, "One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives." I never truly understood the saying until now. I never had any real friends till I came here. Now that I have some, I don't want to imagine how it would feel to lose them all after I opened myself up to them. I guess my friendship with Ray is worth more than pursuing a relationship with Lily._

He was having a hard time letting the idea of helping Ray and Lily get together sink in. So, he repeated to himself over and over again the only thing that could get him through this.

"One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives. One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives." _Somehow, that doesn't hold the same type of value it did before_.

Travis realized that he was still clutching his cell phone in a death grip, his thumb hanging over the open phone above the number 3. He was going to set things straight with Lily, but now he couldn't even bear to look at her knowing that he'd be the one to deliver her to another guy. He continued to walk along the street, the thoughts of Ray and Lily together spinning in his head.

Travis found himself getting anxious to get to his treasured spot. He loved the feeling of calmness that washed over him when he sat down on the grass and took a deep breath. He turned the corner onto the next street and was greeted with the vision of the entrance into Warner Park. He continued to walk, thinking nothing of the sight before him. He was preoccupied in trying to deal with the vision of Ray and Lily together…as boyfriend and girlfriend. Then it clicked in his brain. _I could just take a shortcut through the park. It has to be a shorter route than walking around to the other side._

Travis crossed the street and strolled into the park, his thoughts drifting away from him once again to the first time he had walked into this park. He had just arrived in Roscoe with his family and needed time to himself to think. He walked out of his house and wandered around the block for a while before he stumbled upon the park. He remembered thinking that the park was so nice and peaceful.

* * *

Lily had been sitting beside the fountain for a while already, but she didn't care. She was happy because in a little over an hour, she had managed to get her song to sound exactly the way she wanted. Not only had she written a song in record time, but she had gotten some much-needed exposure as well. 

Deciding that it was time for a break, Lily got up from her seat on the edge of the fountain. She walked to her backpack, opened it and pulled a water bottle out. Sitting on the bench, she took sips of water as she glanced around at the other people who had decided to gather around the fountain as well. She saw a lot of young children with their families, complete with their assorted pets, running around and sticking their hands into the cool water emerging from the fountain. Lily also noticed couples roaming around the park. She felt a dull pain in the vicinity of her heart; most likely the consequence of a bruised heart. The heartache began to get to her, and soon Lily was looking for something to do to take her mind off of…him. Her gaze wandered back onto her guitar, which lay flat on the edge of the fountain. Suddenly, she felt an urge to hear her song once again. Wait, she hadn't even played it all together, only in pieces.

Wanting to know what the finished product sounded like, Lily gave in to her desire to play the finished song. She put her water bottle away after taking a long sip, straightened out her legs, walked over and picked up her guitar. Taking a seat on the edge of the fountain, Lily began to feel the softly throbbing pain begin again in her heart. For a minute before beginning to play her song, she imagined all of her problems drifting away with the notes for the song that she was about to play. She closed her eyes, began strumming her guitar and quietly sang the lyrics that she had pieced together for the past hour or so.

_How could you know  
That behind my eyes a sad girl cried  
And how could you know  
That I hurt so much inside  
And how could you know  
That I'm not the average girl  
I'm carrying the weight of the world, yeah_

_I try to wash the pain away from me  
Away from me_

_I'm playing the role  
Of the happy girl  
But no one knows  
Inside I'm alone  
But I would never let it show  
Here I am so alone  
And there's nothing in this world I can do  
I want to be what you always needed  
Then I hope you'll see the heart in me_

Lily played and sang, letting her emotions flow. Tears streamed down her face and she didn't bother to wipe them away, knowing that if she did, she would have to stop playing.

_And I wonder, are you thinking of me_  
'_Cause I'm thinking of you  
And I wonder  
Are you ever coming into my life?  
_  
'_Cause you're everywhere to me  
And when I close my eyes it's you I see  
You're everything I know  
That makes me believe  
I'm not alone  
I'm not alone_

_I'm playing the role  
Of the happy girl  
But no one knows  
Inside I'm alone  
But I would never let it show  
Here I am so alone  
And there's nothing in this world I can do  
I want to be what you always needed  
Then I hope you'll see the heart in me_

Nothing mattered more to her than to keep on playing her song, keep on letting her emotions flow. A small crowd had gathered around Lily, curious and interested in where the beautiful and powerful music was coming from. In that crowd, someone gazed intently at Lily, trying to taking in the lyrics that she was singing.

_I'll learn my lessons, and I'll make mistakes  
And if I get burned, it'll only be my heart to break  
It isn't easy, hearing what they say  
Sometime you've got to take a leap of faith_

Each and every chord Lily played was filled with passion and excitement, and she could feel it surge through her body. As she neared the end of her song, feelings of relief and freedom rushed through her.

_I'm playing the role  
Of the happy girl  
But no one knows  
Inside I'm alone  
But I would never let it show  
Here I am so alone  
And there's nothing in this world I can do  
I want to be what you always needed  
Then I hope you'll see the heart in me_

_You're in everyone I see  
So tell me  
Do you see me?_

Lily played the last chord and then silence engulfed everything around her. The silence lasted only a few moments when the small crowd around Lily erupted in applause. She quickly opened her eyes and was surprised at the amount of people that had gathered for her impromptu performance. She scanned the crowd for familiar faces, but she didn't recognize anyone.

People had come up to her at her position beside the fountain and had complimented her singing. But what made her day was a little girl wearing a pink bandana, much like the one she was wearing now. The little girl had come up to Lily, holding her CD single in her little hands. She gazed up in awe of Lily and stood there for 5 seconds before she said, in a barely audible tone, "Wow."

Lily warmly smiled down at the little girl and extended her hand. "Why thank you! I'm Lily, what's your name?"

"Mara."

"Well Mara, what did you think of my song?"

"It was great. I've never heard it before." Mara looked around and saw the all the papers by Lily with the writing on it. "Did you just write it?"

"Yeah, I did. It just came to me while I was sitting here. Then I began to play it; I didn't even think anyone would want to stand around and listen to me sing." She looked into the sweet face of the little girl and smiled again. Then she noticed the CD that Mara was holding. "Mara, would you like me to sign the CD for you?"

Mara held the CD and a black Sharpie out to Lily so that she could sign her CD. Lily took both and began to write out a little note to Mara on the case. As she wrote, Mara looked down and asked, "You must really love him, don't you?"

Lily stopped writing mid-sentence and quickly looked up at Mara. "What are you talking about?" she asked quickly.

"I said, you must really love the guy that you are talking about in your song, don't you?

Lily closed her eyes for a moment before she quietly responded. "Yeah, I do." She finished up her message and handed the CD and the Sharpie back to Mara. She looked at Mara again and said, "Thank you Mara. Thank you for buying my CD and thank you for helping me today. You made me realize something. It would have taken me a lot longer to realize it if it wasn't for you." She bent down and gave Mara a big hug. Mara smiled and then walked back to her mother who was waving to Lily.

Lily turned around and held her face in her hands. Mara's words echoed through her head. _You must really love him, don't you?_ Her song made her feelings about _him_ more known, but it also complicated things. While putting away her papers and her guitar, a thought flew into her head. _This song reveals too much about me. I can't let anymore people hear it._ With that thought, she grabbed her messenger bag, her guitar and her notebook and headed out of Warner Park. She had every intention of putting the song away until she felt that she could play it again.

As she held the notebook preparing to stash it safely out of sight and out of mind...she felt vulnerable. It was an intense feeling but not scary, as if someone was not just hearing her songs, but reading her heart...similar to being watched. Lily's head jerked up, like a deer in the field...watchful...waiting...then she saw him in the distance. There was something oddly familiar about him. Her heart sped faster as it forced her to jump to wishful conclusions; something about the way he walked reminded her of...Travis. Lily's notebook fell from her grasp and as she bent down to pick it up, the mysterious person turned around and glanced at Lily. Lily straightened back up and the stranger continued walking. Lily looked on as he walked away; she shifted her weight in indecision. As his figure receded, her doubts loomed larger and she shook her head and started for home.

**A/N: Well, did you like it? Did you pay attention? **

**Ok, here's the challenge that I mentioned above. Remember the part with Lily's song and the lyrics? Remember? Do you? Well, do you?**

**Do you know which artists own the song (meaning that it's on one of their records)? The first person to review with the correct artists will win…something to be mentioned later. **

**Here's a hint…there is a total of five different artists, which means five different songs.**

**So, what are you waiting for…find out who the singers are! Oh by the way, regular reviews are also appreciated and are encouraged if you have no clue who the owners are. LOL! ;)**


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